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I am not a big fan of the Steelers drafting Jones. I thought he got lost in a crowd at times and his aversion to the weight room is concerning. He really excels at rushing the passer that cannot be denied. Whats to prevent the opposing offense to run more three step drops and negate this altogether. Or put an H-back, etc on his side to help the tackle. I would definitely take an OLB this draft, but not at #1 imo. It was hard to find a good corner when Ike went down last year. Pickings were slim (I realize it was late in the season). I'd rather see CB or TE or WR at #17.

He is when he's in the training room rehabbing a gimpy leg. Unless he's not as good as advertised or Spaeth has dramatically improved, Eifert starts game #1.

serious talk - not trying to be a smart@ss here, so work with me cuz i want to understand all the desire across the board to get Eifert...

Heath may or may not be back by game one. Harrison's gone. Casey's gone. Mendy's gone. Wallace is gone. Foote sucks. The guy the team drafted to replace him may never play again. The Safeties are aging. Heath had one of his best years and is expected to be back this fall.

I understand Eifert has good hands and size, but, it seems as if people are acting like Eifert is the next Shannon Sharpe or Vernon Davis (run like a WR). Seems like every year, there's a TE in the 4.4's... this dude ran a 4.7, which is "above average", but, not "great" and certainly not "elite"...

By comparison, what I've seen of Ertz, he's probably a better receiver, his 40 time is .08 different, he's not as good a blocker, but, could be had in the 2nd after a bigger need is filled.

Help me understand... What is it about Eifert that everybody's so excited about?

serious talk - not trying to be a smart@ss here, so work with me cuz i want to understand all the desire across the board to get Eifert...

Heath may or may not be back by game one. Harrison's gone. Casey's gone. Mendy's gone. Wallace is gone. Foote sucks. The guy the team drafted to replace him may never play again. The Safeties are aging. Heath had one of his best years and is expected to be back this fall.

I understand Eifert has good hands and size, but, it seems as if people are acting like Eifert is the next Shannon Sharpe or Vernon Davis (run like a WR). Seems like every year, there's a TE in the 4.4's... this dude ran a 4.7, which is "above average", but, not "great" and certainly not "elite"...

By comparison, what I've seen of Ertz, he's probably a better receiver, his 40 time is .08 different, he's not as good a blocker, but, could be had in the 2nd after a bigger need is filled.

Help me understand... What is it about Eifert that everybody's so excited about?

Give the QB some more legit weapons and have a guy so TE isn't a need in the future. Plus the red zone matchups would favor us imo

Backup TE? Pure Poppycock, Tyler Eifert is the best TE in the draft and he won't be on the bench.

"best TE in the draft" not necessarily = "game changer"... if you're passing on positions of bigger need, I'd say you believe he's a game change and not just "he's the best at a position, so we'll take him.."

Because there are lots of years where Best QB or RB or whatever position simply isn't good enough.. one year you get Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich, Kyle Boller and Rex Grossman... the next year, you get Eli, Ben, Rivers, Matt Schaub...

am i saying he'll bust? no... but, what i'm asking is what makes this guy so special that the team should abandon bigger long-term needs?

Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert solidified himself as the top tight end prospect on the board, and one of the best all-around tight ends in recent draft memory. It wouldn't be a shock to learn the Steelers have interest in the 6-foot-5, 250-pounder, in wake of Heath Miller's injury.
Don't be surprised if the Steelers spend some time with Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert at the NFL Combine.

It's not common for the Steelers to draft a back-up to their team MVP from the previous season in the first round, but it isn't any more common to find a tight end with Eifert's speed (4.68 40) and size (6-foot-5, 250 pounds, 9 1/8 inch hands).
In what could be a classic example of drafting the best player available, Eifert could be on the board at 17, and it seems likely at least one scout would be clamoring for one of the surest prospects in the draft.
What would that say about tight end Heath Miller, the man who earned a Pro Bowl berth and led the team in receiving this past season? Absolutely nothing. Stepping past for a second the likelihood of Miller starting the year on the physically unable to perform list due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 17, having two players as big and as athletic as Miller and Eifert would fit wonderfully in the Steelers' offense.
Eifert, like any rookie, would need some seasoning, but the Steelers currently only have second-year David Paulson healthy and under contract for 2013. While it's not a guarantee Miller won't play this year, judging by the 2012 season of running back Rashard Mendenhall - who suffered the same ACL tear as Miller did late in the 2011 season - it's hard to say Miller will be the same player from the start.
But looking ahead to 2014, with Miller at 100 percent, and Eifert having a year to develop even more, they could rival anyone in terms of talent at the increasingly important tight end position. It would also be a cheaper alternative to their current lack of wide receivers, giving veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger two large targets in which to throw quick-release passes to all over the field.
Eifert's outstanding Combine performance solidifies him as one of the best all-around tight end prospects seen in the draft in recent memory.

serious talk - not trying to be a smart@ss here, so work with me cuz i want to understand all the desire across the board to get Eifert...

Heath may or may not be back by game one. Harrison's gone. Casey's gone. Mendy's gone. Wallace is gone. Foote sucks. The guy the team drafted to replace him may never play again. The Safeties are aging. Heath had one of his best years and is expected to be back this fall.

I understand Eifert has good hands and size, but, it seems as if people are acting like Eifert is the next Shannon Sharpe or Vernon Davis (run like a WR). Seems like every year, there's a TE in the 4.4's... this dude ran a 4.7, which is "above average", but, not "great" and certainly not "elite"...

By comparison, what I've seen of Ertz, he's probably a better receiver, his 40 time is .08 different, he's not as good a blocker, but, could be had in the 2nd after a bigger need is filled.

Help me understand... What is it about Eifert that everybody's so excited about?

For the record, I'd be happy with Ertz too. Eifert appears to be equally good as a receiver, but as you said, a better blocker.

Colbert himself said that with knee injuries like Heath's they consider the guy lost for a full year and consider it good fortune if they get back sooner. If that's the case, Heath isn't on the field until late in the year unless he's pushed. Even if he makes a great recovery, he still doesn't see the field until 5 or 6 games in.

Worilds is replacing Harrison. We have three guys vying for the NT spot (McClendon, Fanguopo and Ta'amu), and many thought McClendon could have started last year. Foote may not be great, but he's a solid pro that knows this D. The D might have to settle for being top 10 instead of #1 in order to get the weapons needed on O.

A TE like Eifert helps in both the passing game and running game as both a blocker and receiver (Ertz is more of a receiver). In Haley's O, it seems that he would be used more than a speed-burning deep threat like Wallace. The drop off from a top line TE like Eifert to a decent ham & egger like Stoneburner seems more significant than the drop off in many of the other skill positions.